The Dynamic Counterdown Keeps Queues Informed of Wait Lengths

The Dynamic Counterdown Timer works to soften the frustrations that simmer in big crowds and lineups of people waiting for one thing or another. Instead of giving folks little or no information about when they may be able to enter a sporting facility or a ride at an amusement park, this device would keep everybody in the loop.

Wang Shuai's design is a hybrid digital traffic light and an hourglass. The rectangular frame contains illuminated pixels that emit yellow when people are permitted to approach and red when they're advised to stand by. In the case of the latter, the pixels gradually move downwards to visually represent the passage of time. The Dynamic Counterdown Timer also displays the current hour and how many minutes the wait is likely to take.